Nov. 27 vs. N.C. State -- W 79-72 (6-0): This was supposed to be a top five matchup when the year started, but Michigan controlled the game and Trey Burke notched a double-double.

Dec. 1 at Bradley -- W 74-66 (7-0): A weird non-conference game to be sure, but far and away my easiest road trip of the season -- flew in three hours before tip, out the next day. No problem.

Dec. 4 vs. Western Michigan -- W 73-41 (8-0): The Broncos were actually in this thing early, and Michigan wasn't exactly thrilled with its effort -- despite a 32-point win.

Dec. 8 vs. Arkansas -- W 80-67 (9-0): 40 minutes of hell was flipped upside down, as the Wolverines beat Arkansas at its own game -- by running all over the place to get John Beilein's 100th win at Michigan.

Dec. 15 vs. West Virginia -- W 81-66 (11-0): Trey Burke's best statistical game of the season, 27 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds. Burke entered the Player of the Year conversation here, and never left.
Dev. 20 vs. Eastern Michigan -- W 93-54 (12-0): It was 'Groupon" night at Crisler Center. That's about all I remember from this thing. It was ugly.

Dec. 29 vs. Central Michigan -- W 88-73 (13-0): Central Michigan scored 73 points, and Beilein was none too pleased. Defense was a problem for this team, but one it would have to live with.

Jan. 3 at Northwestern -- W 94-66 (14-0): Bill Carmody literally almost used all of his timeouts before halftime. And I scored one heck of a rate at the O'Hare Renaissance.

Jan. 6 vs. Iowa -- W 95-67 (15-0): This was actually the game where I realized Michigan had a shot to do some scary things offensively. Michigan shot 58 percent from the floor, hit 10 3's and basically turned the second half into a slam dunk contest -- a scary showing.

Jan. 9 vs. Nebraska -- W 62-47 (16-0): No amount of Tim Miles halftime tweets was going to stop Michigan on this night, as the Wolverines notched the best start in school history.

Jan. 13 at Ohio State -- L 56-53 (16-1): Michigan falls apart with a shot at No. 1 on the line, plays its worst basketball of the season and still nearly pulls out a victory. Also, I drove home in an ice storm. So I had that going for me.

Jan. 17 at Minnesota -- W 83-75 (17-1): Oh, I'm sorry, I've forgotten everything about this game except Glenn Robinson III's 360 slam. I still don't know how he made it look so simple.

Jan. 24 vs. Purdue -- W 68-53 (18-1): Michigan trailed at halftime in this one, but completely overwhelmed Purdue in the second half. Afterward, Matt Painter had to tell reporters why he never offered the son of his program's most famous player (Glenn Robinson).

Jan. 27 at Illinois -- W 74-60 (19-1): The game that vaulted Michigan to No. 1 in the country. Also Jordan Morgan's ankle injury. Beilein shrugged off the No. 1 ranking, saying "no one remembers who was ranked No. 1 in January." Well, they do now. Also, fog delayed my return trip home -- so I got to spend an extra day in beautiful central Illinois. Good times.

Jan. 30 vs. Northwestern -- W 68-46 (20-1): Carmody didn't have to use all of his timeouts early in this one, but Michigan still dominated, playing every player on its roster.

Feb. 2 at Indiana -- L 81-73 (20-2): One of the more anticipated regular season matchups in the country this season. Indiana outplayed Michigan in a raucous primetime environment -- and Victor Oladipo almost broke planet Earth with the most spectacular missed dunk I've ever seen.

Feb. 5 vs. Ohio State -- W 76-74 (OT) (21-2): People don't realize how crucial this victory was for Michigan. It was, in my opinion, one of the lasting reasons why the Wolverines were able to hang on and play at The Palace in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Oh yeah, and Trey Burke further cemented himself in Michigan lore by finally besting Aaron Craft late.

Feb. 9 at Wisconsin -- L 65-62 (OT) (21-3): I vividly remember putting the finishing touches on my game story, describing what a feather in the cap it was for Beilein to get a win in Madison, before looking up to see a ball flying in the air. The reporter next to me muttered "no way" just as Ben Brust's shot found the net. I deleted a lot of work that afternoon.

Feb. 12 at Michigan State -- L 75-52 (21-4): I had this story written by halftime. Michigan was humiliated in every way possible. The Spartans were out for blood, and the Wolverines gave it to them -- by the barrel full.

Feb. 17 vs. Penn State -- W 79-71 (22-4): A weird game. Penn State outplayed Michigan for a long, long time in this one. And most of us thought it was just a fluke. Good God were we wrong.

Feb. 24 vs. Illinois -- W 71-58 (23-4): The game where most thought the Wolverines had finally gotten back on track. After a week off, Michigan sparkled on defense, and even showed some severely-lacking grit -- Jordan Morgan had a very, very solid game defensively.

Feb. 27 at Penn State -- L 84-78 (23-5): The game ended in a court-storming -- and Penn State literally didn't have enough fans to fill the floor. Nittany Lion backers walked out of the building next to us on press row shouting at the local media: "you guys finally have something good to write about." Surreal stuff. But also a turning point.

March 3 vs. Michigan State -- W 58-57 (24-5): I honestly remember thinking Michigan would lose this game by double digits before it began. And wondered how it would find a way to blow it in the final minute. Until Burke did what Burke always does. Keith Appling still doesn't know what happened.

March 6 at Purdue -- W 80-75 (25-5): The game, in my opinion, that clinched national and Big Ten Player of the Year honors for Burke. He put up 22 of his 26 points in the second half, and carried the struggling Wolverines to a gritty road victory -- something that didn't happen all that often this season.

March 10 vs. Indiana -- L 72-71 (25-6): One of the best regular season games I've ever watched live. A true heavyweight bout. Morgan's missed layup would haunt him for weeks. Afterward, he watched Space Jam. It didn't help.

March 14 vs. Penn State -- W 83-66 (26-6): When Michigan fell behind 14-3, I started pricing flights for Salt Lake City -- because I thought there was no way this team would be playing at The Palace. But there would be no second upset, Michigan's offense exploded, and Mitch McGary had a double-double -- a sign of things to come.

March 15 vs. Wisconsin -- L 68-59 (26-7): The only silver lining in this one? Michigan didn't have to play Bo Ryan's team again this season. And it knew it. A relief if ever there were one.

March 21 vs. South Dakota State -- W 71-56 (27-7): Nate Wolters and the Jackrabbits had Michigan fans extremely nervous. Burke's scary tumble to the floor made it worse. But the supporting cast dominated, and Michigan shook off its 2012 tournament blues with a dominating performance.

March 23 vs. VCU -- W 78-53 (28-7): The national media raved about VCU's "Havoc" defense. Michigan laughed at it. Probably the Wolverines most complete performance of the season -- the game that made John Beilein realize he had a team that could get to the national final. I booked my flight to Texas for the Sweet 16 just shortly after halftime. Oh, also Mitch McGary -- that screen. Oh, that screen.

March 29 vs. Kansas -- W 87-85 (OT) (29-7): Still not sure how this happened. Burke made me delete my game story again (for about the 20th time in his career) with a miraculous shot. And McGary officially became a star after Kansas' Jeff Withey said he "wasn't that tall." ... Not even Elijah Johnson's crotch-punch could help the Jayhawks in this one. A truly classic game.

March 31 vs. Florida -- W 79-59 (30-7): Michigan was up 41-13 at one point in this game. And it wasn't playing football. There were 3-goggles. More 3-goggles. And lots of net cutting. An absolute explosion to put the team in the Final Four.

April 6 vs. Syracuse -- W 61-56 (31-7): The Orange ran their mouths Friday, Michigan shut them up Saturday. McGary was a behemoth, and the legend of Spike Albrecht was officially underway. Also, a memorable moment of redemption for Morgan -- who helped seal the win with a crucial late-game charge draw.

April 8 vs. Louisville -- L 82-76 (31-8): This all looked too perfect for Michigan early, and it was. Albrecht scored 17 points before the half, the entire Fab Five was watching and the Wolverines seemed destined for a championship. Only Louisville remembered it was better. The Cardinals simply had more bullets in the chamber, and cut down the nets, ending Michigan's magical ride that began in November and ended during baseball season.

•••

As for me? Some numbers to close the season.

7
Game stories ruined in the final minute. Somewhere on my computer, I have the alternate reality of what "might" have happened if Burke missed a shot, Brust got fouled, Morgan made a layup or Appling hung onto the ball.

1
Gold membership with Marriott Hotels. Thanks to Michigan's run into the Final Four, I'll be enjoying plenty of hotel perks for the next two years.

2
Trips to New York City. Michigan did us beat writers a favor with its scheduling early in the season. I spent Thanksgiving in New York (with my wife's family, so that worked) and went back again to see the monstrosity that is the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Cool experience.

3
Canceled flights -- all in one trip.

22
Mailbags. Thanks to everyone who participated.

17
Cities visited. By my count anyway (maybe I forgot one or two).

39
Games covered. A career-high for me. A long season, but fun one to cover. One I won't soon forget.